Unintended Consequences
by Zazuki Kurosuki
Summary: SI/OC, Matt is your average teenage parahuman, emotionally vulnerable and in way over his head. Arriving in Brockton Bay at the age of sixteen how will he thrive in the most dangerous city in the United States. Well he has to say it isn't easy being a Trump.
1. Chapter 1

**Now I know this isn't either of my stories and I'm sorry for not updating them. I've just lost my muse when it comes to them, this however is my favorite fandom. I know Worm is fairly niche and as such this story may not gain incredible traction, but I am really motivated for this story and am actually invested in it. Please enjoy.**

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Destruction, pure unadulterated destruction. Crumbling buildings, screaming civilians, and dead bodies litter the streets. A young boy shivers and covers his ears, the screams seeming to pierce through his very body. He slowly rocks back and forth hoping and praying for the carnage to stop. His parents quickly snuck him into a nearby house. The man is fairly tall with hair that should be a vibrant blonde but was currently matted with blood. If not for the grime currently coating her body the woman would be incredibly beautiful. They quickly sneak the young boy into the back of the house and pulling up a few floorboards revealing a tunnel. The man hands the young boy a flashlight and pulls the boy into a tight hug. "Matthew I love you. You're my only son and I wish I could do more for you. I am sorry, I should have moved us after the Leviathan attack but I foolishly thought we would be fine. This tunnel leads out of the town and to safety, don't look back no matter what you hear."

The woman then pulls the boy into an even tighter hug, tears pouring out of her eyes. She shudders and pulls back kissing her son on the forehead. She looks him in the eyes "My sweet baby, I love you more than anything else. Please be strong for Mommy, I need you to listen to your father and escape Seattle. Remember to eat well and find yourself a good woman one day who makes you happy."

With one more quick kiss she smuggles the ten year old under the floorboards and with a small amount of concentration she uses her powers to seal the floorboards so that they were like new. You couldn't even tell that the boards could be moved and at this point they couldn't. Her power over wood perfectly sealing the exit. Matthew quickly did as his parents asked silent tears falling from his eyes and after a few moments he heard a female scream and then silence. Immediately after the tunnel caves in behind him making it impossible for him to turn back. His tears are no longer silent as he lies down and drowns in his own sorrow.

* * *

_Six years later_

A loud groan leaves Matt's lips as he slams his hand down on his alarm clock. Irritation at the blaring noise clearly evident on his face. He lethargically swings his legs over the side of the bed, cursing softly under his breath when his feet hit the cold floorboards. He yawns as he slowly makes his way down the hallway and to the bathroom. He turns on the shower taking a moment to allow the water to warm up before stepping in. Matt was far from a morning person but the hot shower is well worth it to him. It's almost tranquil in his mind and one of the few places he truly feels at peace.

It only takes him a few minutes however before he steps out, out of necessity not because he wished to. He quickly dries himself off and wraps the towel around him before stepping in front of the mirror. Staring back at him is a tall young man, dirty blonde hair that hangs down to his shoulders, striking blue eyes, and a slightly rounded face. He looks down slightly and nods once appreciating his rather athletic build. He takes a few minutes to brush his teeth and shave the slight amount of stubble accumulating on his face. A smirk appears on his face allowing a bit of vanity to shine through. He slaps his face a couple of times before quickly heading back to his room and gets dressed. A simple button down shirt with a pair a jeans and once he's dressed he quickly makes his way out of his apartment making sure to lock the door behind him.

Brockton Bay, an absolute shithole of a city if he were being completely honest. The city is currently being split by three major gangs. The Empire 88, a white supremacist hate group led by Kaiser. The Azn Bad Boys, an Asian supremacist hate group led by Lung. And the Merchants, the drug smugglers of the city led by Skidmark. Not to mention the several smaller villain organizations, and all of this is occurring with two major hero organizations also in the city. The Protectorate/Parahuman Response Team and the New Wave.

Matt chuckles to himself, the incompetence of the heroes of this city is absolutely astounding. The Protectorate does their best but they are bound by the bureaucratic bullshit from the PRT keeps them from doing more. As for the New Wave, they rarely leave their own section of the city. Well Panacea is completely exempt from the New Wave's incompetence, as the world's foremost healer she used those powers for good constantly putting in volunteer hours in at the hospital. She's one of the few heroes in the city that he actually respects.

As Matt walks his surroundings become much worse, rundown buildings, drug dealers, prostitutes. The whole works but that doesn't disrupt his thinking. He knows that he is a cape and he knows his powers, but what he doesn't know is what his next step will be. The Wards is an obvious option, the child section of the Protectorate. However he would then be bound by the regulations of the PRT. It would be his safest option however. He would be given resources, training, and teammates there is strength in numbers after all. He filed that information into the back of his mind not completely dismissing it. There was the villain route, which is something that he refuses to do but it would be the most profitable. Also, with his physical features the Empire would probably try to recruit him. Finally there is the independent route, which is by far the most difficult route. No support but also no bureaucracy. Ideally this is his favored option but he knows that his life expectancy would be greatly shortened if he couldn't find people to join him.

A sigh leaves his lips as he enters Winslow High, of the two high schools in the city this was by far the inferior. It looked rundown and you could even see a couple of Merchants down the street peddling their drugs. He strolls into the front office getting his schedule, he then looks at the school map on the back and makes his way to his homeroom. He sits in the back of the classroom partially ignoring the rest of his classmates but answering a few questions that are thrown his way.

When the bell rings he makes his way to his first period class World Issues, apparently taught by a Mr. Gladly. He shrugs to himself as he walks into class. The chattering stops as he enters replaced by everyone's eyes on him. Matt rubs the back of his head "Is this the World Issues class? Sorry if I'm late today is my first day here so I'm not completely familiar with the school."

A short and young looking man walks up to him, he barely looks older than Matt "Oh you must be Matthew. Principle O'Malley told me you would be joining today. You can take any open seat"

Matt nods once and takes a moment to look over the class. Immediately he notices a student was isolated by the rest of the class. It was a young girl wearing baggy clothing, the thing that stood out the most to him is her hair. It is absolutely stunning, he ignores the few open seats left with the rest of the students and sat down in the seat beside the girl. At the sound of the chair moving the girl jumped completely startled and surprised that he chose to sit beside her. A soft smile appears on his face as he offers her his hand. "My name is Matthew but my friends call me Matt."

He could see the faintest hint of a blush appear on her face as she daintily shakes his hand and barely whispers out "I'm Taylor. It's nice to meet you." She quickly retracts her hand and the two sit silent as they take notes for class. He does sneak a few peaks at the girl to his right, while not being drop dead gorgeous she is rather easy on the eyes. He allows a sigh to leave his lips when the bell rings before standing up. He smiles as he looks towards Taylor again "It was nice meeting you. I hope we have other classes together or maybe the same lunch period."

Taylor nods once quickly a smile briefly appearing on her face which is quickly covered by her hair. She quickly shakes his hand before leaving the classroom in a rush seeming to want to be away from the classroom as quickly as possible. Matt shrugs once before slinging his bag over his shoulder and he makes his way towards the door but is approached by three girls. In the center was a very athletic black woman. He could just tell that she is a cape, no normal teenager has a build like that. Flanking either side of her was two beautiful girls, he'd even go as far to say that they could be models. The girl in the center sizes him up probably coming to the same conclusion about him that he came to about her, but thanks to the unwritten rules she made no comments on it but a nearly vicious smirk appears on her face "I know you're new here but I'd stay away from Hebert"

It took Matt a couple of moments to put the clues together, gather that Hebert must be Taylor's last name. He shrugs once not really caring what she has to say "She seems nice enough and I'm new to town might as well make friends while I'm here"

A barely audible growl leaves her lips as the redheaded beauty steps in front of the nearly seething girl "I'm sorry about that. I'm Emma Barnes" She points to the black girl "This is Sophia Hess" she then points to the other girl "and this is Madison Clements. What Soph is saying is that Taylor has a bit of a reputation around school and I'm sure that an attractive guy such as yourself wouldn't want to ruin yours"

Matt quickly hides the frown that comes to his face, Sophia notices it but the other two seem none the wiser, he quickly replaces it with a nonchalant grin "I've never really cared about my reputation that much. I don't need other people to validate myself. She seems nice and as such I'll continue to talk with her until she gives me a reason not to. Now if you will I've got to get to my next class before I'm late" Matt quickly walks past them not noticing the glares they were giving him.

* * *

Matt never got the chance to see Taylor again that day which was unfortunate their schedules must not have aligned with each other. It was not that big of a deal however, he knew that he'd see her again when they had World Issues together. Now Matt was making his way downtown to make it to the PRT office. He knew that no matter which option he chose, Wards or Independent, he would have to officially register as a cape. He nearly smacks himself once he makes it to the office. He forgot to suit up. He didn't want to out his civilian identity, he enjoyed having the freedom of anonymity. He goes to an alleyway and takes a quick look of his surroundings before getting into a rather shabby costume. It was obviously homemade but it got the job done. Black hoodie, domino mask, black gloves and black shoes.

He stuffs his clothes into his bag before making his way into the office. He looks around and notices that the security immediately went on guard once he walked in, but he generally ignores this knowing that as long as he doesn't act hostile he will be safe. Matt goes to the front desk and looks towards the receptionist. "I'm here to register as a parahuman"

The woman nods not even bothering to speak with the young adult before having him take a seat. Matt waits for a few minutes before a tall woman dressed in stylized army fatigues with a bandanna covering her face walks in. She points to Matt and motions for him to follow her they walk through the halls and enter a room. It was utilitarian, gray walls a single table and two chairs. Matt noticed a security camera in the corner but sits down across from the woman.

"I am Miss Militia, a senior member of the Protectorate here in Brockton Bay. I hear you are here to register as a cape. Are you a recent trigger?" Miss Militia wastes no time in getting to work not bothering with any pleasantries which Matt appreciated

"Yes I am here to register as a cape and no I'm not a recent trigger. I triggered during the Slaughterhouse Nine attack on Seattle." Matt's hands clenched into fists as he tries to level his breathing. Which Miss Militia seemed to notice and you could tell she was at least slightly sympathetic for the teen sitting across from her.

However she doesn't allow that to break her professionalism "What's your cape name and your age?"

Matt takes a few breaths to calm himself before meeting Miss Militia's gaze once again "I currently do not have a cape name. I've tried living a normal life up to now but it seems like that isn't really possible. I am currently sixteen years old."

Miss Militia nods once "You do not have to answer this but I am required to ask it in order to further our understand on triggers. What caused you to trigger?"

Matt stiffens as he tries to will his shaking hands to stop and after a few moments he responds tersely "Slaughterhouse Nine killed my parents as they used their powers to help me escape Seattle. I'm not willing to go any further than that"

Miss Militia nods "That is more than satisfactory. What are your powers?"

Matt takes a breath "I am actually worried about this question. I don't want to be treated like a prisoner for trying to follow the rules."

Miss Militia's eyes narrow "Is it a Master power? If not then there is no need to worry about anything. If it is we will need to go through Master/Stranger protocols to make sure you aren't actively using your power."

Matt shakes his head "No, I think it would be classified as a Trump power"

Miss Militia doesn't allow this to faze her "What sort of Trump power is it?"

Matt wills his shaking to stop as he continues the conversation "I can turn off other cape powers and copy them. I can only turn off one power at a time though." Matt stays silent trying to gauge her reaction, and to his surprise Miss Militia didn't seem to show any signs of negativity to that.

The military woman stands up her eyes not leaving Matt's as she speaks "Someone with your abilities could do a lot of good by joining the Wards. You would have access to all of our facilities, a salary, and completely free access to a parahuman therapist."

A small amount of shock goes through Matt when he hears the last part of her spiel. He had absolutely no idea that the Ward program also provided therapy to its members. In hindsight it should have honestly been obvious that they would. They are preparing emotionally vulnerable teens to fight crime, so obviously the mental state of every Ward would be paramount. Matt takes a moment to gather his thoughts "I'm not completely sure if being a Ward is for me. I'm a fairly independent person and being a Ward would hinder that. It would potentially restrict my ability to help as many people as possible because I would have to wait to be deployed."

It seems as if Miss Militia was ready for a response like this and if not for the bandanna covering her mouth a smirk would be clearly visible "We do not restrict our Wards from participating in hero activities should the situation present itself. All you would have to do is call headquarters and backup will be sent to the scene."

"However I would not be given full reign on how to handle situations. There is a protocol and I would be forced to follow orders or risk punishment." Matt fires back respectfully to which Miss Militia could only nod.

"That is true but why don't you take the time to at least meet with the rest of the Wards and getting a first hand report on how the experience really is." Miss Militia motions for Matt to follow her deeper into the office. They walk past the rest of the interview rooms and Miss Militia starts typing into a keypad causing a red light to turn on outside of a door. After a few moments the light turns off and the two walk through a tunnel which connects to a separate building. This is the housing for the Wards. Not every Ward is required to live on premises but the majority of them do.

The room they are standing in is much like a commons area in a college dorm. A couple of couches, a television, and a coffee maker set off to the side. There are currently only two people in the room besides Matt and Miss Militia. They are both wearing casual clothes with their masks. A hispanic looking teen steps towards him and extends his hand "Hello I'm Aegis, the current team leader of the Wards here in Brockton Bay."

Matt smiles and shakes hands with Aegis rather firmly "Nice to meet you Aegis I currently have no cape name but why not call me Eraser tentatively. It's a rather big decision and I'd rather not be stuck with a stupid name"

A white kid steps up and shakes hands with Matt as well "I'm Clockblocker it's good to have you on the team."

Matt chuckles and shakes his head "I haven't made the decision yet. Miss Militia wanted to show me around before I flat out rejected the offer." The two Wards in front of him nod in understanding.

"Well you'll certainly get a better costume should you join the Wards" Clockblocker chuckles at his slight jab at Matt's appearance.

Matt laughs alongside him not taking what he said to heart "I must admit I would rather a more presentable costume. This one was thrown together last minute. Hell I almost forgot to put it on before coming into the building."

Miss Militia takes a step inwards stepping between Matt and the two young wards "I hate to cut this short but this was just meant to be an introduction. We do have to get to your power testing now."

Aegis and Clockblocker both seem to perk up at this, the wards captain looks towards the blonde haired teen "Oh what are your powers if you don't mind me asking"

A smirk crosses Matt's face "Power nullification and copying". From behind his mask Clockblocker's eyes roll as a loud groan leaves his lips "That is complete and utter bullshit. Powers are dumb."

A loud laugh leaves Matt's lips he bends over laughing causing the room to look at him. After a few moments he stands upright once again wiping a tear out of his eye. "Sorry about that. It's just been a long time since I've been around someone so amusing."

"Well if you join the team we will get to have far more fun together" Clockblocker chuckles causing the rest of the room to shudder. They could barely handle one Clockblocker what if they had another?

"You drive a hard bargain there Blocker, I'll definitely take that into consideration. Anyways Miss Militia let's get going to power testing. I'd like to see the limits of my powers myself." Matt turns to the elder parahuman and receives a nod in assent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Firstly I'm going to address a couple of reviews I have gotten about this not being a SI. There is a difference between an 'Isekai' and a self insert. This is not a born again in another world story. This is a different version of myself, or how I would envision myself being should my circumstances be as shown in the story. Not all self inserts are the same. Second, I'm glad I've gotten the reviews that I have even if they are just pointing out the self insert bit. It shows people actually care enough to say something. Anyways here is chapter two please enjoy**

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Matt stretches as he takes in his surroundings, the room is very utilitarian. Minimal features and gray walls. Fluorescent lighting illuminating his surroundings, well in his eyes it was slightly off putting. He hates fluorescent lights it messes with his eyesight almost like a bright winter day. Four scientists in white lab coats are behind him each holding a clipboard. One of them approaches him, an older man with short brown hair just starting to show signs of graying. He reaches his hand out to Matt who takes it and gives him a firm shake "Hello Eraser I am Doctor Phil Resner and I am the Head Power Tester for the Protectorate ENE. I have three of my companions here to help log and rate your powers. We will ask for you to show us all of your power and the only information that would be made available to the public are the ratings that we give. Nothing specific and no weaknesses will be released."

Matt nods with a smile "Thanks Doctor I will be in your care then". He knew that the Doctor meant what he said however he also knew that the PRT would use this information against him should he ever become a villain. That was not an issue for him though he had no plans on turning to villainy, and if he went independent he wants to work alongside the PRT much like the New Wave.

After a few more stretches he gives a nod to the Doctor "Alright then I am ready to get started". Doctor Resner nods and takes a few notes before looking at the young man once again. "Due to the nature of your powers we will need to bring in some parahumans to test your powers with. So I am asking for permission to do so."

Matt shrugs continuing to stretch out his legs looking around the room as he does so "I don't mind, though I wonder who you got to agree to have their powers copied."

Doctor Resner nods to his assistants who then let in two teens, the first exudes confidence. She has long flowing blonde hair topped with a tiara. A pure white dress that ends at her thighs accented with golden highlights. A confident smirk is on her face as her bright blue eyes meet Matt's, it didn't take long for him to notice her. How couldn't he? This is Glory Girl from the New Wave, they are the only heroes that willingly unmasked.

The other girl however was the exact opposite, skittish would be a good word to describe her. Mousy would be an even better word, brown frizzled hair with freckles dotting her face. Wearing a white robe with red accents and a Rod of Asclepius on the hood and back. Matt noticed her immediately, as would any living person as this is the world's greatest healer Panacea.

Matt allows a smirk to grace his face as he holds his hand out to Glory Girl who bounces over to him. As she got closer the smirk became more and more forced as her Aura of Awe starts to affect him. Master effects always affected him negatively, even though hers is labeled as a shaker effect. He shakes her hand quickly "Hello I'm Eraser it's nice to meet you. And could you possibly turn off your aura. I don't react well to Master effects."

Glory Girl looks slightly sheepish at this and rubs the back of her head awkwardly allowing the aura to turn off. Matt lets out a breath to steady himself once more "Sorry I'm not used to controlling it that well, and it's a Shaker power not a Master"

Matt quickly fires back with a smirk on his face "That's only because it's area of effect centered on yourself. It actively changes how a person's brain works, the very definition of a Master effect. Not that it's a bad thing just be careful. Some people have adverse reactions to those sort of effects and I'm one of them."

Matt then holds his hand out to Panacea a small smile on his face "It's an honor to meet you Panacea. It's not everyday that you get to meet the greatest healer, the very epitome of a hero."

Panacea blushes softly at the praise and looks everywhere besides his eyes as she shakes his hand gently "I'm not that great, I only do what anyone else would"

Matt retracts his hand and shakes his head looking her directly in the eyes "Yes you are Panacea, you do more for the everyday person than any other person on the planet. The amount of hours you put in at the hospital would put even the most dedicated hero to shame, and you do it without any thought of a reward. You are by far the most selfless hero I've ever seen."

With each word the blush on the girl's face got brighter and brighter obviously she isn't used to the praise. In contrast Glory Girl's smirk gets larger and larger, for a while now she had been trying to get Panacea to go on a date. And this guy just keeps complimenting her as if it's nothing, if it weren't for the fact that she could tell that he had no ulterior motives she would be skeptical.

However, they are soon interrupted by a cough and the trio turn towards Doctor Resner "You three can talk later. We have a time schedule to keep and have to stick to it." He looks towards Matt "Eraser, Glory Girl here has consented to you erasing and copying her power"

The girl chuckles "I honestly still don't believe it but I have to see it for myself"

Matt rolls his eyes at this most people don't believe it when he discloses his power to them. If he is being honest his power is bullshit even with it's limits. "Alright then, why is Panacea here then"

The blonde puts her hand on Panacea's shoulder "Ames is here in case I end up going a little overboard and you can't shut off my power."

The brown haired girl then speaks up looking Matt in the eyes "Also once I've gotten a chance to judge you a bit more I may let you copying my power. Having two people able to heal at my capability would be incredibly beneficial to the world."

Matt nods once taking in what the two had to say "Well thank you for coming then I promise to put your powers to good use here Glory Girl"

Glory Girl lets out a laugh and gets into a combat stance to which Matt does the same "Well we will see then." Glory Girl immediately dashes towards him but feels something is off, she's not nearly as fast as she normally is. Hell her breathing is already slightly heavier than normal and she's only ran twenty feet. She then looks up and looks Matt in the eyes and what she sees unsettles her. Matt's eyes are glowing red, almost like a demon. A smirk graces his face as he takes a step in towards her and then settles into a dash. Before she realizes his fist is inches away from her face standing still.

"I've got to say your powers are very useful, I've never been anywhere near this fast. Thankfully I didn't get to copy your aura that would be incredibly annoying to control." Matt speaks nonchalantly as Glory Girl sits there stunned. Trying to call upon her powers and being unable to is incredibly unsettling. The feeling of weakness is new though after a few more moments Matt closes his eyes and she could immediately feel her powers return to her.

"Wow that was intense, if I'm being honest it is terrifying being unable to use my powers" The blonde woman takes a few breaths as Matt takes a couple of steps back out of her personal space.

"I have to agree about the intense bit, your power is kind of overwhelming. It's like a I'm wrapped up and suffocating when the barrier is up how do you deal with it?" Matt takes a few moments and dismisses her power deciding to practice with it later.

Glory Girl has a puzzled look on her face at his question "I have no idea what you're talking about, it feels completely natural to me."

Doctor Resner takes a few more notes and nods "It seems as if your power doesn't completely adjust your body to other people's powerset. Perhaps with more practice and use your familiarity with it will grow?"

Matt nods once taking that Doctor's words at face value "That's odd when I took Flame Slider's power I wasn't able to feel the heat. Maybe it only adjusts my body if it would be taking a power that would be detrimental to my body's health"

"That very well could be it, would you like to continue?" The doctor looks over his clipboard towards the younger male who shakes his head.

"Honestly no. Turning off people's power is no problem but copying them is hard work. It takes a toll on my body, it feels like I've ran a marathon then decided to go weight lifting. If anything I'd like to rest" Matt lets out a breath as a bead of sweat runs down the side of his face. Exhaustion clearly visible to everyone around.

"If we are done here why don't you join me and Amy for dinner, I know you haven't decided on joining the Wards maybe you'd like to join the New Wave?" Glory Girl extends her hand which Matt takes and gives a shake.

"Well I'll listen to your pitch at the least. Though I am not unmasking here. I don't mind unmasking to you and Panacea but I'm not going to do it in the PRT headquarters." Matt rubs the back of his neck trying to rid himself of the slight pain he was feeling. Glory Girl smiles and the three walk out of the room and are soon led out of the PRT headquarters. Once out Matt ducks into the alleyway and removes his costume stepping out he extends his hand towards Glory Girl. "Hello Glory Girl the name's Matt it's nice to meet you"

"Please just call me Vicky, it's nice to meet you too Matt" Victoria takes a moment to appreciate Matt's appearance. He is fairly good looking, just because she is currently taken doesn't mean that she can't appreciate others.

Matt smiles and shakes her hand before doing the same to Panacea who smiles as she takes off her hood "You can just call me Amy then Matt"

"Alright Amy, so lead the way Vicky I do need to head home before it gets too late don't want to run into the gangs at night on my first full day in Brockton Bay. That would just be a nuisance." Vicky nods and the group makes small talk as they walk towards they Dallon household.

* * *

Nobody is home when the trio gets to the Dallon household so the three are just sitting in the living room. Matt looks around and to his surprise the house is relatively normal, he was expecting the house to be centered around crime fighting. No matter how dumb that sounds, everybody needs a place to relax. But with how the New Wave is public with their identities he would figure the security would be higher. Maybe it was and he just couldn't tell, but it is nice.

"So Matt you said this is your first day in Brockton Bay, why did you move here? Did your parents get a new job or something?" Glory Girl puts down her phone breaking the slightly awkward silence with her question.

A slightly pained look goes across Matt's face as the unknowing girl just broached a sensitive topic "I'm actually an orphan, parents died back in the Slaughterhouse Nine attack on Seattle. Since then I've bounced from foster home to foster home. When I turned sixteen I finally got access to my inheritance and legally emancipated myself. And as for why I chose Brockton Bay is because it's about as far away from Seattle as possible. Plus due to the gang activity it's actually very cheap to live here."

Vicky looks as if she's about to apologize but Matt waves her off a smile on his face "Please don't apologize you had no idea. Anyways it was ten years ago so I've moved on for the most part. I was kind of forced to grow up quickly like most kids who triggered. Besides other people have it worse off than I do. I have a few hundred thousand dollars from my inheritance so I can get myself setup here with a new life."

Amy stops Vicky from pressing the issue further, Amy smiles leaning in slightly towards Matt her hands sitting on her thighs "So what do you do for fun Matt?"

Matt smiles and leans in a little bit as well and suddenly Vicky is starting to feel like a third wheel 'Is this how Ames feels when I drag her out with me and Dean?' Vicky thinks to herself before shaking her head wanting to learn more about the first boy Amy had ever shown any sort of interest in.

"I'm actually a huge fan of music from both here and Aleph, I am actually a pretty good guitarist if I do say so myself. I'd also like to think that I have a pretty good voice, though that might just be me thinking a little too much about myself." Matt smiles feeling completely relaxed and at ease. He never really gets the chance to talk about himself. He generally tried to distance himself from people due to him changing foster families constantly. This time is different though, this time he chose to be here and has no plans on leaving anytime soon.

"Oh wow, I'd love to hear you play sometime. I'm not a huge fan of music but it can be quite calming and peaceful when I'm at the hospital" Amy smiles, a soft blush adorning her cheeks which is something she doesn't notice. Ever since Matt shut off Vicky's powers something inside of her changed. The shame that she felt because of the infatuation for her adopted sister disappeared along with the feelings she thought she had. It seems as if Vicky's powers were actively changing her feelings when it was activated, but since Matt turned them off it's almost as if she developed an immunity to it.

Part of her was worried about it but that majority of her mind was incredibly happy about it. Sure she still felt the familial love for Vicky but gone where the more, let's say erotic thoughts. Matt then speaks up breaking her from her rambling thoughts "Oh anytime, I would love actually performing for someone. Music is meant to be shared and enjoyed, not contained within the mind of senses of a single person"

An almost serene expression comes over Matt's face as he talks about his love for music it actually enraptured the two girls across from him. Never had the two had seen such a peaceful expression on a person's face. If anything they were actually slightly jealous of him, it was as if he was in his own world. "I mainly dabble in alternative rock, but I love all forms of music."

The three are broken out of their conversation by the sound of the front door opening and then closing. An older female voice calls out "Vicky, Amy. We're home. You said you had company over?"

Victoria stands up and bounds over to the foyer taking some bags out of the woman's hands and walks back through the parlor and into the kitchen setting them down. She then comes back into the parlor and introduces Matt. "Mom, this is Matt he's new to town and he's got quite the powerset so I wanted to bring him here to see if you wanted to extend the offer to join us"

"Victoria Dallon you're not supposed to out other capes even to your family" the older woman's face turns into a scowl and Vicky shrinks back.

Matt stands up brushing off his pants "Mrs. Dallon I already gave her my permission to out me as a parahuman to any member of the New Wave. I want to weigh all of my options before choosing what to do. I really don't want to go at it alone as a solo hero but I'm not sure if I want to be a Ward. Vicky then made the offer to me and I decided to hear you out at the very least, and if not I'd still like to work with you rather than against you."

The woman takes a deep breath and nods wiping her brow before settling herself once again. She then extends her hand to Matt who accepts it and shakes it lightly "Hello Matt, I'm Carol Dallon also known as Brandish. It's a pleasure to meet you"

"And it's a pleasure to meet you as well. You have a lovely home" Matt smiles gently now that any previous tension has dissipated. He let out a breath that he hadn't noticed he had been holding.

Carol moves into the kitchen starting to put away the groceries "So Matt what brought you to even think about joining us. You know that we are public with our identities and if you were to join we would need your parent's permission first"

Matt sighs running a hand through his hair "I don't have a family anymore. Lost them back in the Slaughterhouse Nine attack on Seattle. I got legally emancipated earlier this year when I got access to my family inheritance and moved here to Brockton Bay. Since I have nobody to worry about being hurt by my identity being public I don't have too much of an aversion to being out."

"Well I can certainly understand your outlook. If you don't mind telling me, what do your powers actually do?" Carol starts preparing for dinner, the spread looks rather large it seems as if the entirety of the New Wave will be attending the dinner.

"I am a Trump primarily. I can turn off other people's powers and can then copy them though they seem to be a lesser version of their power. I can only turn off one power at a time but any power I copy I keep forever" Matt doesn't even hesitate to tell her his powers. Perhaps it's partly foolishness, but they are heroes and he assumed that they would keep it secret should he not join their team.

"I can see why Victoria wanted you to join then. How did she figure out your power anyways?" Carol hums under her breath as she continues to work in the kitchen.

"She was actually the person I tested my power against when registering with the PRT. Apparently she didn't completely believe my powers could actually turn off hers and wanted to test it out." Victoria looks quite sheepish as Carol's eyes turn towards her obviously unapproving of her actions.

"Victoria Dallon" Vicky winces at the tone in Carol's voice "How could you possibly be so stubborn. You know powers can do most anything and yet you allowed your headstrong nature to put yourself in a bad situation. What if Matt wasn't as pure with his intentions as he seems to be? You could have possibly allowed a potential villain to copy your powerset. You got lucky that he is thinking about joining the New Wave. Anyways you are grounded for two weeks for not thinking through your decisions"

Vicky jumps up obviously mad "But Mom me and Dean have a date this weekend. We've been planning it for weeks now."

Carol doesn't seem to care that much and waves her hand in front of her "Perhaps you should have thought of that before making such a foolish decision"

Matt just shakes his head thinking to himself 'Is this how they always are?'


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the mistake with this chapter. In my sleep addled brain I didn't see I copied over part of last chapter with this one so please re-read this chapter now that it's complete.**

* * *

Dinner was an eventful affair in Matt's eyes. The Pelham's joined the Dallon's and chaos seemed to ensue. The adults seemed to ignore the children taking slight jabs at each other as long as it didn't get physical. Honestly Matt enjoyed himself, he hasn't had a family dinner like this in a long time. He looks down into his plate a smile on his face and doesn't notice the tears forming in his his. He turns his head to his right when he feels a nudge and Amy is sitting there with a napkin in her hand outstretched towards him. He accepts it and quickly wipes the tears away thankful that nobody else had noticed. He mutters out a quick thank you so that only Amy could hear, he then finishes his plate.

A few minutes later everyone has finished their plate. Mike and Fleur move to the kitchen deciding to take care of cleaning the mess that they had created while the rest of the group move into the parlor. Sarah Pelham clears her throat and everyone goes quiet, her eyes then meet Matt's "So Vicky and Amy are vouching for you to join the New Wave, and while I generally trust their judgement I cannot make the offer for you as of now. I do not know you well enough or for long enough to just let you join us. Your powers are indeed very strong and would be very welcome in our group. I just can't take the risk until we have gotten to know you better."

Amy and Victoria both look disappointed but they don't make any move to argue against the elder woman's words. Sarah Pelham, better known as Lady Photon, is the de facto leader of the New Wave and as such her word is generally final. Matt shrugs his shoulders "That is fine Mrs. Pelham I only agreed to hear you guys out anyways. While I don't currently have non-parahuman friends who could be hurt by my identity being public I could make some at some point. I was thinking of going independent anyways."

Carol shakes her head obviously unapproving of his plan "I would recommend against that Matt, it's very dangerous to go at it alone and since you're new to Brockton Bay I know you don't have any cape connections here. I highly recommend you join the Wards."

Matt runs his hand through his hair taking the woman's words into consideration "You are probably right. But, I wouldn't have the discretion to handle situations as I see fit. I would be forced to bend to their regulations which could cause someone to get hurt, because of them forcing me to stay back due to protocol. It isn't an elegant solution but I believe being independent is for the best. At least for the time being that is, I can always join the Wards later if I want to. It's much harder to leave the Wards than it is to join them after all."

Sarah frowns as she takes in the younger man in front of her. Far too mature for his age due to his family situation much like poor Amy. Sarah knew that Carol neglected the teen unknowingly due to her birth father, but it was never more than letting Amy put in more volunteer hours than she should. This was why Sarah never brings this up with her. After a few moments she shakes her wandering thoughts and looks towards Matt once again. There is something in the back of her mind telling her to just accept him into the New Wave. It is quite obvious that Amy has a slight attraction to the young parahuman, so he may end up being connected to them at some point anyways.

Sarah has to do her due diligence first though. She cannot just let anyone join immediately after meeting them. They are all unmasked and as such it is risky for her to trust new people to the point that they join the group. She would however welcome him with open arms immediately should he publicly out himself on his own. It would show true dedication to the base morals of the New Wave, and she would definitely offer the protection that her group provides.

"Anyways I should head out I would like to get home without any issues and I live on the other side of the city." Matt brushes off his pants and grabs his bag before turning towards Amy and Vicky "Hopefully I'll be seeing you two soon. It was a fun talking with you two." Amy smiles and nods and everyone says goodbye as Amy walks him to the door, and what happens next shocks every person there. Once Matt is almost out the door Amy quickly leans in and pecks him on the lips. It was over before Matt had any time to react, an atomic blush covers both his and Amy's faces at her action. Everyone is stunned at the rather aggressive action from the normally timid girl. Amy then realizing what she just did quickly pushes him out the door leaving Matt to think to himself 'Damn her lips are soft'.

* * *

Matt hums to himself as he practically skips through the streets of Brockton Bay. He is fairly confident in himself normally, and he knows that he is an attractive guy. However, it's been a while since a girl had approached him like Amy did. It is honestly refreshing, he is used to always being the one to make the first move. This changes things for him though, at first he was looking at Amy as just being a good friend. With the kiss though everything changes. Even if Matt has kept himself distant from most people for the last few years, he is still a teenage boy at the end of the day and a pretty girl liking him affects him.

Matt is broken from his thoughts he hears a crash along with a scream a few blocks over. At first he ignores it not wanting to get involved on his first night, but then he took in his surroundings. He's almost home and this is the Docks so he is in ABB territory. 'Fuck, Lung could be out. I really shouldn't get involved.'

However when he hears another crash along with a roar his body moves into action. He quickly puts his domino mask on, not wasting time with the rest of his shoddy outfit, and rushes towards the sounds of the fight.

* * *

Matt uses Victoria's power to fly on top of a building above the fight to take in the situation. It is absolutely the worst case scenario, Standing tall is a half-transformed Lung and a group of teens are shakily standing, obviously exhausted with even a short fight. 'No surprise there Lung is one of the strongest people in Brockton Bay' Matt thinks to himself trying to decide on a plan.

'It seems that Lung is alone so I could probably take him out one on one. But I'm not sure if my power will completely erase the changes he's already gone through or if it will just stop him from escalating further. Damn it this is bad.' Matt curses to himself as the group of teens move to attack the dragon.

Matt is so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice that someone is standing behind him now and is startled when he hears a voice that he thinks is familiar "Which side of this fight are you on? Don't move or I will take you down"

'Fuck I didn't notice her. And I can't use my power because she'll attack before I can get her in my sights. I've got to hope she's on my side at least' Matt curses to himself before going out on a limb and telling the truth "Neither, but I'm not about to let Lung kill those kids"

A moment of silence ensues but the unease leaves Matt as she responds "Ok good seems we're on the same side then. So how are we going to handle this"

Matt turns around and takes in the woman's appearance, she's obviously new at this with how shabby her costume is. "I'm a Trump I'll fight Lung one on one and you find spots to assist."

"I have complete control over insects I'll use your distraction to pump him full of poison to hopefully overcome his healing factor and knock him out." the girl responds immediately wasting no time as the battle below them seems to turn south for the teens who are now on their knees.

"I'm Eraser let's do this" Matt immediately flies down and lands between Lung and the group of teens. He quickly cocks his head towards them "Get out of here I'll handle Lung for now" He is then thrown back by a massive fist colliding with his body. He crashes into a nearby building but stands up immediately, brushing off the dust on his pants and cracking his neck. 'Ok so it takes about fifteen seconds for my invulnerability to return. I can't afford to get hit twice then that would definitely kill me.'

He locks eyes with Lung who roars as he is swarmed with bugs. The girl who is now standing across the alley is putting her full focus on Lung. 'Maybe she has a maximum range?' Matt shakes his thoughts off and flies into the swarm hitting Lung with an enhanced punch sending him reeling back a few feet but staying on his feet. 'Fuck it hurts to hit him and I've got Vicky's strength right now. And of fucking course my power won't reverse his transformation.'

Matt then ducks underneath a tail swipe and backflips back onto his feet it is then that Lung screams in pain and falls to his knees. A smirk crosses Matt' face 'She must have gotten a bug into his eyes that's vicious I love it'

It is then that a large armored man comes in on a motorcycle. He gets off and grabs a helbred off of the side before approaching both him and the girl. "What's going on here?"

'Seems he lives up to his reputation of being all business and no fun' Matt rolls his eyes but then answers the man's question "We came here because we heard the sounds of a fight. We saw Lung here fighting a group of teenagers and decided that we didn't want to see them die tonight so we came in to assist. I distracted Lung while she pumped him full of enough poison to kill a herd of elephants. I was about to call the PRT to have them bring in Lung but then you showed up Armsmaster."

"Poison is dangerous it can be seen as lethal force you can get into big trouble for this" the armored man seemed obviously disapproving of their actions causing the girl to shrink back but Matt stays his course.

"That's only if the poison is used on a parahuman not known to have a healing factor. Lung is famous for his ability to heal through anything and he's still breathing now. His healing factor will probably purge the poison in a few hours or so. We are well within our legal rights stop trying to strong arm us into complying with your wishes. You may be the Protectorate head here but you do not rule over every single hero in Brockton Bay. I am not your subordinate so stop treating me as such." Matt steps up glaring at the massive man who grips his helbred tighter in response. Never had anyone been so blatantly disrespectful towards him.

"Anyways I'm going to call this in. First night out and I help take out Lung that'll help out my case and hopefully keep the ABB occupied for a bit so they stop with the extortions for a bit." Matt pulls out his phone completely ignoring the man as he calls up the PRT and roughly five minutes later squad cars are at the scene and Miss Militia comes out looking confused.

She then turns towards Matt "Why did you call this in if Armsmaster was here already?"

"Because the first thing he did when he showed up here was threaten me and my ally here. Honestly I'm glad I chose not to join the Wards if this is how the Protectorate handles things in Brockton Bay. We took out fucking Lung and now we get threatened what the hell."

Miss Militia sends a glare towards Armsmaster "I'm sorry about that. Armsmaster isn't the greatest people person."

"More like a glory hound with a massive ego. How the hell is the Protectorate head not a people person. It seems like it should come with the job" Matt replies flippantly enjoying the obvious rage flowing through Armsmaster who seems to be seething at this point. "But he is still a hero at the end of the day and a damn good one at that. Anyways where do we go to pick up the reward for taking out Lung. I'm pretty sure he has a high bounty at this point."

"You can come with us to headquarters to fill out some paperwork then you can receive your reward. I will warn you though that there will be a media interview afterwards. Taking out Lung is a big deal and might paint a target on your back" Miss Militia warns the teenage parahuman

"It will also give me a massive amount of respect with the gangs here which is the most important thing. If I can stop some gangbangers just by showing up then good. It makes life easier for me and for potential victims. I'm a hero and being in danger comes with the job. If I wasn't willing to put my life on the line I wouldn't have chosen this line of work." Miss Militia just nods and they go to the PRT building.

* * *

Matt shakes his wrist out and winces slightly 'wow paperwork sucks. I was hoping it would be one or two pages'. Matt looks to his right and holds out his hand to the girl sitting beside him "Sorry I haven't had the chance to introduce myself properly I'm Eraser"

The girl smiles behind her mask and shakes his hand happily "I'm Skitter thanks for the assist there."

Matt shrugs "Any time Skitter. I'm always willing to help out another hero. Well shall we head out there? I'm sure the media is waiting for us."

Skitter shudders and nods "We have to. Even though I don't really want to talk to them"

Matt pats her back once and smiles trying to ease any of the tension that she has "Don't worry I'll try to keep their attention as much as possible. I'm pretty good with people so I don't really mind"

Skitter nods as the two walk out the front door and are immediately surrounded by a mob of reporters. Several cameras surround them taking in every move that the two young parahumans make. Two PRT guards immediately create space between the reporters and the two teens, they then allow one representative from each network stand close by to ask their questions. Matt is actually impressed by this 'Wow they act quickly and efficiently'. Matt takes a breath and allows a smile to come to his face "Hello everyone I'm Eraser and the girl to my right is Skitter. We will be glad to answer your questions but I do ask that you keep to one a piece, we do have class tomorrow morning afterall."

The crowd chuckles a bit and an older man asks the first question "Jason Tyler from BB5 News, how did you manage to take out Lung?"

The crowd goes quiet waiting on the answer to come "Well it was a simple but effective plan. I distracted Lung while Skitter here managed to neutralize him from a distance. Not that it was easy mind you. If it weren't for a bit of luck on our side I'd be nursing some pretty bad wounds. The man sure hits like a truck"

The man looks as if he is about to ask a follow up question but Matt holds his hand up stopping him from continuing "As I said only one question per person please. It's rather late"

An attractive looking blonde woman goes next "Eraser, Jenny Richards from the Brockton Globe here. What are your powers that allow you two to take out Lung?"

Matt smirks liking the woman's question "I'm a Trump so my powers have interesting interactions with other people's powers. And as for Skitter it isn't my place to explain another parahuman's powers so you'll have to ask her."

Jenny looks towards Skitter expecting an answer from the younger girl who obviously looks uncomfortable with all the attention she is now getting "I uh..I control insects"

Matt once again stops the reporter before they could ask follow up questions. "Alright last question we need to make our way back home."

"David Rich from Brockton Daily, are you two related to each other? You just said that you have to make your way back home."

Matt rolls his eyes before answering the non-question "No. I was just saying that we both need to go to our own respective homes. We are not another family crime fighting group. In fact this our first time meeting each other. It just worked out that we seem to have good combat synergy. Now we will be taking our leave."

Several more questions are shouted out at the two as they start to surround them. Matt clicks his teeth and quickly takes Skitter into his arms and flies away.

* * *

Matt touches down a few blocks over and sets Skitter back on her feet "I'm sorry about that, but it seemed to be the path of least resistance to getting out of there without incident. I hope you forgive me."

Skitter shakes her head sighing "No I'm not mad at you. I was just so out of my element there." She takes a moment to recollect herself before looking Matt in the eyes "Thanks a lot for the help tonight Eraser. I was in way over my head and honestly I wouldn't have been able to handle Armsmaster like that. I probably would have let him walk over me. I would like to go out on patrol with you again. It's safer with us working together."

Matt smiles widely and nods "I agree. I never would have been able to handle Lung on my own. He would have eventually taken me out, so I'll absolutely want to have your help again." Matt extends a hand towards her "So do you want to make a team?"

Matt couldn't see it but there was a massive grin on Skitter's face as she takes his hand and shakes it "Partners then"

"Partners, so how shall I contact you?" Matt replies putting his hands in his pockets

Skitter puts a finger to her cheek obviously thinking it over "Well damn I don't have a personal cell phone so it won't be easy. Can I just have a way to contact you until I have one?"

Matt nods giving her his contact information "Yeah it's not a problem. Just let me know whenever you have one just in case I need to call you for backup on something."

Skitter waves him off "No worries I'm hoping to do it with the money we got from Lung. I just need to do it discreetly. I don't want to involve my father in the whole parahuman thing." Matt nods and says goodbye before flying away.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry for both the length of this chapter and the amount of time between chapters. I must have rewrote this chapter seven times and I'm still not happy with where it is. However I cannot delay posting this any longer. Also I'm thinking of rewriting this story to be first person much like how Worm is. I don't want to completely rewrite this so I'll leave this up to you guys if you want me to either rewrite, just continue in first person, or leave it third person.**

* * *

Amy yawns as she walks downstairs towards the kitchen, she had been the target of Vicky's relentless teasing about her kissing Matt all night. Honestly it would have been easy to ignore if it were only Vicky doing the teasing but it was the entirety of the New Wave doing it. The heat rises to her cheeks as she remembers the feeling of his lips. His breath was mint fresh and it felt as if electricity coursed through her body when their lips connected.

'Oh god I hope he doesn't think I'm one of THOSE girls. I kissed him the same day that I met him. Why did I do that.' Amy sits down at the dining room table as she notices Carol in the kitchen cooking breakfast for the household. It seems as if Carol is too absorbed in her task that she didn't hear Amy come downstairs. Either that or she completely ignored the young redhead which wouldn't be anything new. Amy looks down at her phone while she waits and is surprised when she hears Carol speak "Good morning Amy, breakfast should be ready in about ten minutes even if nobody else is awake yet. Well too bad for them if you snooze you lose."

Amy is completely dumbfounded at this, Carol almost never interacted with her alone. However it's a pleasant surprise "Good morning Carol." A smile crosses Amy's face at the simple interaction maybe things are improving thanks to Vicky now actively focusing on restraining her aura.

"Amy do you mind turning on the television I would like to hear the news this morning." Carol calls out from the kitchen and Amy gets up to turn on the television. As she does this Victoria floats down the stairs and sits at the table looking nearly asleep as she lies her head on the table. Amy chuckles at the sight of Victoria as she turns on the television and switches the channel over to BB5 for the news. Amy turns the volume up so that Carol can hear it from the kitchen before sitting back down at the dining room table.

Carol sets up plates for everyone bringing them out and setting them in front of each person before sitting down herself. The three women sit in a comfortable silence as they eat their respective meals. They are then broken out of their silence when they hear something shocking come from the television "Late last night two new capes managed to defeat and capture the dangerous parahuman known as Lung."

The three women's eyes widen and Vicky speaks up "Two people took out Lung?" Carol quickly shushes her as they pay close attention to the news broadcast. The news anchor gives a short description of Lung and how he was taken out before they switch to a recorded press conference, and who they see shocks both Amy and Vicky causing Carol to ask "Do you know who these two are?"

Amy nods once "I'm not sure who the girl is but I know for sure that the guy is Matt."

* * *

Matt scratches the back of his head yawning softly as he rides the bus to Winslow High. He woke up late this morning and didn't have time to walk to class. While sitting down he thinks over the takedown of Lung and how it could have gone better. He curses at himself for not just copying the cape's power and ending the fight easily. He was far too focused on not being hit that he didn't see the obvious solution that was staring him in the face. Not only that but he now is missing out on having an incredibly powerful tool that could assist him in a future battle.

He is broken from his thoughts when he feels his phone vibrate inside of his pocket. He wastes no time in opening the notification and sees a text message from Amy. A small smirk graces his lips once he reads her heated message. Apparently she wasn't too fond of him attacking Lung of all people on his first night out. If he is being totally honest she is completely justified but it did slightly bother him that she was so belligerent in her scolding of him. Just as he is about to reply to her message his entire world turns white as a loud explosion echos in his ears.

* * *

A steady beeping rings in Matt's ears as his eyes reluctantly open. The first thing he notices is how incredibly heavy his body seems to be. It feels as if he were just hit by a bus. The first thing he does is try to remember what the hell happened, but to no avail. He takes in his surroundings and quickly realizes he's currently in a hospital. 'That would explain the incessant beeping.'

He looks down at his body and grimaces at what he sees. Burns cover his body, scattered across his chest and legs. His right arm is also in a full cast causing him to curse under his breath. 'This means I broke my upper arm fuck'

He is broken out of his thoughts when an older woman walks into his room dressed in hospital scrubs. Exhaustion is clearly visible on her face as she walks over to his bedside. "Hello sir. It's good to see you're awake. You've been unconscious for at least seven hours."

Matt nods and replies in a hoarse voice "What happened? And Can I have some water"

The nurse quickly goes over to the sink and fills a cup with water as she responds "You were unfortunate enough to be caught up in a bombing. Luckily your injuries are not too severe but that does also mean that you are lower on the list for parahuman healing. Once Panacea has gotten to the critical cases you'll be seen by her. The burns are rather troublesome and you cannot be discharged until after they are healed."

Matt takes the cup and quickly drinks the water, the liquid soothing the roughness in his throat "That's understandable I'm sure she has a rather rough workload right now the bus was rather full last I remember."

"Yes and it wasn't the only bus that was attacked. I'm not certain when she will be seeing you but I don't believe it will take too long. I'm sure she'll be onto the noncritical cases by tonight." The nurse gives him a tired smile and bids him goodbye as she goes to check on other patients.

* * *

Panacea sighs and rubs her eyes as she walks through the halls of the hospital. She has been at the hospital since nine in the morning and it was a little past midnight at this point. Only stopping healing for a five minute lunch break that Vicky forced her to take. Dark bags are clearly visible under her eyes and an unwanted yawn leaves her lips. At the very least she finally finished the non-critical cases and only had one more patient that absolutely needed to be healed tonight; the rest of them can wait until tomorrow for her healing. Panacea knocks on the door and winces internally when she sees her patient. While his life may not be in immediate danger, he looked extremely worse for wear. Burns cover his face and body along with a full arm cast for the broken humerus in his right arm.

Amy does a very good job of not allowing any emotion to appear on her face however, it would be poor bedside practice for her to do so. She quickly gets to business and asks "Do I have your permission to heal you?"

She wasn't expecting to recognize the voice that came from the patient laying down in the however "Yeah you do Panacea. If it weren't for the morphine they have me on I'm sure I'd be in a good amount of pain."

"Matt?!"


End file.
